↳ CHAPTER FOUR


          THE TENSION IN the car was palpable, expanding with each second as Olympia and Jane dropped Darcy at her own place before heading over to what Jane had grown to call a temporary home. Needless to say, the small caravan she had settled into was proof that being a self-employed astrophysicist didn't pay all too well, and the space had shrunk doubly when Olympia's break-up had left her homeless. Always a kind soul, Jane had offered her a place to stay, and although the vehicle was small, tiny even, with the two of them stuffed inside and Erik regularly stopping by, it was cozy too — the Amodei's favorite part of every day was undoubtedly getting home, kicking off her shoes and drinking a cup of warm coffee.

          Something nagging in the back of her head told her that tonight wasn't going to be quite so relaxed, though, and it was evident in the thick silence that enveloped her and the Foster in its iron grip for the rest of the drive.

          As soon as Olympia had parked the truck next to the familiar caravan radiating warmth, and the two women strolled towards the inconveniently half-broken door, Jane jumped right in — as if being in the truck had been some kind of an obstacle to stop her from prying. Maybe she thought the mention of Thor would cause Olympia to crash them both into a streetlight.

          "So, Olly — you and Thor, huh?" she probed at the topic destined to be their most awkward one yet while fumbling with her keys, and silently rolling her eyes behind her, Olympia sucked in a breath. Staying outside under the star-littered sky didn't seem like a bad idea right about now, and she knew that the heat crawling onto her skin wasn't just because of the New Mexico air, yet when Jane successfully stormed the caravan, she followed in her footsteps with her arms crossed over her chest grumpily.

         "Still don't approve of the nickname", she noted at first, happy that it hadn't taken place in a while, but it tended to slip from her friends whenever they wanted something. With Darcy, it was more frequent, but Jane had her moments, and when she eyed Olympia curiously despite trying to focus on their coffee pot, it was clear that this was one of them. "And, there's no Thor and I. It's just me, and well, then there's Thor", she clarified while resting against the countertop, painting two separate figures in the air with her slender hands as she explained. She failed to radiate confidence in her defense, though, and the feeble attempt at denying Jane's allegations didn't impress the brunette either, earning a doubtful look from her in the process.

          "There is totally you and Thor. Haven't you seen the way he looks at you?" she inquired with a hushed tone, almost like the man himself was lurking around the corner. Before the fondly spoken words could set Olympia's heart on fire, however, Jane continued with, "I'm pretty sure you look at him the same way, too." At last, the blonde glanced up at her with a dropped jaw, ready for arguments to roll out yet nothing but an incredulous scoff drowned out the whirring of their old but reliable coffee pot. She would have loved to disagree, considering that Thor was still half a stranger and it hadn't been too long since she and her boyfriend had parted ways — somehow, though, the words just didn't make it into the air.

         "In my defense, he looks like an actual god", she caved in with a defeated sigh, shrugging casually while Jane chuckled to herself and dug out their signature mugs from one of the few cabinets, just in time as the final coffee droplets landed amongst the others.

          "Funny you should mention that...", the Foster brought up cautiously, the wary tone drawing Olympia's involuntary thoughts of Thor away as she filled both of their mugs to the brim. Before Jane could have a sip, though, she was stepping away and towards her bag, her fingers skimming through the contents while a thoughtful hum filled the air. "Erik gave me something, I guess as a warning but I thought it was fascinating. And you might too", she explained, a grunt escaping her mouth as she pulled out a giant, thick and seemingly ancient book out and handed it towards Olympia with a sheepish smile.

          With her mouth full of sugary sweet coffee, the blonde froze for a second, but after hesitantly lowering her mug on the counter, she took the book with both hands and silently observed the cover. Norse Mythology. Almost amused, Olympia glanced up at Jane, but when she stared back dead-serious, she swallowed and turned back to the worn leather cover before opening it and revealing a litany of frail, yellowing pages.

          She was at a loss for words when she began to flick through as carefully as possible, her eyes darting from one name to the other and coming across the God of Mischief — Loki — and the God of Thunder with his hammer Mjölnir. It felt almost terrifyingly real, even if the idea of a distant realm and six more outside of Earth, or Midgard as they called it, seemed impossible. Yet she wasn't refusing to believe it. If anything, the more she read, the more it felt like she had stood face to face with the real deal — what were the chances of Thor being some random guy who had found an exact copy of that hammer and those odd clothes? Especially when the person who had stared Olympia right in her eyes resembled the haphazard sketches in the book an awful lot.

         Then again, what were the chances of their Thor being the one with superpowers?

          "Huh", Olympia cracked the silence as she shut the heavy book, unable to look away as a new peace descended between her and Jane. Only when she finally steered her eyes at her best friend, she found her staring back with a worried look, as if she was expecting the blonde to break and fall apart. For that reason alone, she gulped down whatever concerns and questions had risen to the surface and shrugged while grabbing her mug and sliding the book in its place. "So, you're saying, Thor is actually... Thor", she added with a pondering tone, trying to make sense of it all, but rather than jumping into pure and utter faith in the entire concept, Jane snorted.

          "Yeah, or if he's just a regular guy, then at least you know who he's impersonating. But he doesn't seem so bad. A little rebellious, but a great improvement when you compare to your last boyfriend", the Foster weighed the situation deep in thought, her shoulders lifting in a shrug as if to downplay the gravity of the worst case scenario.

         Taking her turn to snort now, Olympia rolled her eyes and sipped her coffee, wary of the burn. "You don't say — except, uh, Thor's not my boyfriend", she cleared her throat, eyes dodging Jane's reviewing stare as she swallowed the rest of her sentence along with the overly sweet drink.

         Before Jane — or Olympia herself, for that matter — could say anything more to dig her deeper into the hole she was already struggling to climb out of, the blonde flashed a smile and gently lowered her mug into the sink. "Okay, uh, how about I go get us some food? I know you'll probably stay up all night so you need something and I'm—honestly, I'm starving. So, um, I'll just...", the woman rambled on, spewing only information based on facts but she couldn't hide the nervous edge in her tone. Jane noticed it too, but electing to spare Olly's dignity, she bit on her lip to ease on the grin and dug out some bills from the pockets of her jacket to help chip in.

        She appreciated the kind gesture, too; Olympia wasn't too far from the bullseye by assuming Jane would get by with her old nightlight ghosting over her extensive research way deep into the night. Often, the Amodei had the heart to keep company while Jane got lost in all the new things to find out more about, even if she got miserably tired sooner than later.

         "The usual?" Olympia's wondering tone was met with an exchange of simple nods, confirming that she knew her friend well enough to get her food with a question as mundane as that. She never got to step outside and start her journey to the nearest McDonalds, however, when the door was shoved open and a whiff of the suffocating night air surged indoors.

         Alarmed by the break-in, Olympia blindly explored the surroundings of the sink with her hand to find something to smack the invaders with, but as soon as her panicked gaze found one of innocent blue and a sheepish grin staring up at her from the doorstep, she sighed out in relief. Shoulders slouching, Olympia shook her head while running her fingers through her golden locks, yet without a word, she stepped aside to grant Thor room to enter.

        "Forgive me, lady Olympia, I did not mean to be discourteous", Thor defended with a strained voice, evidently laced with amusement — either because of Olympia's hasty reaction or because of Erik, hopelessly hanging onto Thor who heaved him into the caravan. Lacking in balance and consciousness, the man didn't fight back when Thor less than gently tossed him onto Jane's bed, earning a mere grunt from him as he rolled onto his side and made himself comfortable.

         As Thor repeatedly apologized for the unexpected arrival, Olympia directed a worried stare at Jane before turning back to him with a dropped jaw. "Not sure if I want to know but I feel like I have to ask — what happened?" she treaded carefully while making an uncomfortable shift between the countertops and Thor's towering frame — from the looks of it, he wasn't quite sure where to move without awkward bumps or soft grazes, either.

         "We drank, we fought — he made his ancestors proud!" Thor announced with a booming voice, failing to radiate regret as he clapped his hands together victoriously and stood up with pride on his broad shoulders. Erik, on the other hand, mumbled something incoherent against the pillows, earning a shake of her head from Jane as the woman strode to the bed and began to tug the covers onto him.

         Feeling almost responsible for Thor, for a reason she wasn't all too sure about, Olympia pursed her lips into an apologetic smile that Jane acknowledged with a chuckle, before turning to Thor and gesturing towards the door. "Uh, how about we let Jane look after Erik and we can finally talk?" she suggested, though the way she patted Thor's chest — without ulterior motives — and nodded at the door proved that she wasn't taking no for an answer.

         Then again, Thor didn't really seem to intend on disagreeing, but rather, he made the entire vehicle wobble as he turned on his heel and ducked through the doorway.

         With one last look at Jane, Olympia followed him into the humid night air and sealed the door behind her — oddly enough, even if they were out of the cramped caravan and surrounded by nothing but peace and open space, only then her palms began to sweat all the while an involuntary shiver crept up her spine. Tugging on the sleeves of her sweater, the blonde licked her dry lips and took cautious steps behind Thor, her boots shuffling on the hard ground as they wandered towards the died-out bonfire and the bunch of chairs circling the ashes.

         "If I may..?" Thor spoke up, disrupting the tension even with such a careful tone, his blonde hair waving in the air as he nodded at the campfire.

         Rushing a nod, Olympia rolled the responsibility onto him in the awareness that she could never get the fire to light up, and happily heaved a sigh while she took a seat on one of the chairs. Admittedly, watching Thor work on the fire with one knee on the gravel and his large hands hardly affected by the dangers of the flames, wasn't a half-bad way to spend the night. Even the thought of French fries was pushed aside as Olympia drew in a careful breath and crossed her arms over her chest, hoping that the admiration in her eyes wasn't twinkling too obviously.

         Despite being the one to suggest a chat, she was rendered silent — she was cutting herself some slack, though, considering the strange case that Thor continued to be. He had been a mystery all along, but now that the idea of him jumping from the pages of a mythology book was rooted in the back of her head, the puzzle pieces just scrambled into a further mess. With the debate on whether the man of charm and kindness in front of him was an actual god or not raging in her head, Olympia supposed she had deserved a moment of confusion.

         Thor, however, wasn't one for constant peace and quiet, so as soon as he succeeded in igniting the fire, he turned back to her with a determined smile. "I believe I have a story to finish", he reminded her of their moment outside the diner as he slumped onto the chair beside Olympia's, making her flash a smile of her own but with much less confidence. Still, knowing that hearing his tale could answer some of her questions, she was excited to hear the rest.

         "I mentioned my brother, Loki", Thor began with uncertainty while poking the fire with a stick he had grabbed from the ground, his gaze focused on the campfire whereas Olympia was unable to tear her eyes off of his thoughtful expression. "He told me that when I was born, it was decided that before I would be crowned as king, I was to marry a girl. And she would rule with me, be the queen of Asgard", he went on, his careful voice completely devoid of amusement — but Thor, Loki, Asgard? Either he was telling the truth, or he was truly devoted to the metaphors.

         "Okay, sure", Olympia piped in, choosing to leave out the rest of her thoughts as she confirmed that Thor still held her attention. Honestly, how could he not? "That sounds fair. Go on."

         With a soft chuckle, Thor glanced at her, surprised to find only a deep curiosity etched onto her face, rather than horror and mockery. "Yes, well...", he cleared his throat, abandoning the stick and turning on the chair to lock eyes with Olympia, "unfortunately, it was discovered that the woman destined to be my wife did not reside in Asgard but in another realm. The plans were delayed and I never learned of them. Until Loki told me."

         Surprised, the woman huffed out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding in. "Oh, wow. And—that's why you're, um, here?" she tasted the word with uncertainty, wondering if Earth really was a whole new world for Thor. "To find your wife?"

         Thor's intent gaze dropped, and for the first time since she had met him, he seemed all out of courage and, instead, cowered under her scrutinizing stare. Instantly, Olympia reached out, and despite her own heart racing in her chest, she placed a comforting hand on his knee and pushed her lips into a reassuring smile. Without a word, she encouraged him to take a breath and take his time, zero pressure or need to explain any further than he was okay with — and eventually, that was what got Thor to look back up at her with newfound bravery.

         "It's you, Olympia. You are my soulmate. And I have come to retrieve you, milady, to wed you surrounded by loved ones as their gazes fall upon the new king and queen of Asgard", he blurted out, joy and affection spreading across his face as he gently took Olympia's hand in his own, much larger one.

         She wasn't sure if she had heard him right, or if she was hallucinating — or daydreaming — but a veil of discomfort landed between them in an instant. It was like someone had pressed pause, as neither of them dared to move or look away from each other, and the only sounds Olympia could hear were the flames mocking her before them and the echo of her heartbeat haunting her ears. The moment dragged on and the gravity of the situation began to weigh on Olympia's heart — was she supposed to be this man's soulmate?

         And it didn't get any easier when Thor's eyes only sparkled with hope and belief, his smile filled with optimism and his entire stance leaning towards Olympia, forcing her to finally speak up.

         "Uh, well, actually, I was planning on getting some McDonalds and watching Netflix tonight, so..."

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